Particles in the environment come in all shapes and sizes and from many different sources. In water, they can be in suspension, or settle slowly to become the sediment. In the atmosphere, they can act as cloud condensation nuclei. On land, they make up the soil. Everywhere they are subject to many different physical, chemical and biological processes. Environmentally, particles play an important role in hypoxia, the bioaccumulation of toxins, and air pollution.

IPREP is the Institute for Particle-Related Environmental Processes and focuses on all aspects of environmental particles, including their characterization, biological and geochemical cycling, and transformations on land, in the air and in water. IPREP takes advantage of expertise in many different aspects of marine and atmospheric sciences, geosciences, chemistry and materials sciences and highlights the collaborative nature of our research.